LG Voyager 'will kill the Apple iPhone'

New Christmas line-up from Verizon Wireless

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US mobile phone network Verizon Wireless today unveiled three new mobile handsets for the Christmas shopping season. The most interesting offering is the LG Voyager, poised to take on the Apple iPhone.

The LG Voyager features faster wireless internet access than the Apple iPhone, hooking up to the newest Verizon Wireless data network. It also features a similar full touchscreen and web browser as Apple's device.

If you find the Apple iPhone's touchscreen keypad a bit fiddly to manage, the LG Voyager also features a slide-out traditional Qwerty keypad as well as a second screen on a clamshell. There's also a 2-megapixel camera, and a microSD slot capable of 8GB of expandable memory. The LG Voyager also has direct access to Verizon Wireless' online music store.

iPhone Killer

"We think it'll be the best phone... this year. It will kill the Apple iPhone," Verizon Wireless chief marketing officer Mike Lanman said in an interview with Reuters.

Verizon Wireless also unveiled the Samsung Juke, a candybar handset which measures less than 1 inch wide, slimmer than any phone so far in the US. Available in dark blue, red and teal, it slides open to reveal a tiny keypad, which has dedicated keys for playing music. There's 2GB of storage and a VGA camera.

Another LG phone, the LG Venus, also features a touchscreen and a slide-out keypad, as well as a 2-megapixel camera. It's available in black and pink and vibrates when you tap a command on the screen. It also features a microSD slot for up to 8GB of memory expansion.

Blackberry Pearl

Verizon Wireless is also bringing out a version of the BlackBerry Pearl, with fast data network access. The slim email-oriented phone is already available through AT&T and T-Mobile in US, both of whom offer slower data speeds than Verizon Wireless.

It is unclear if and when these handsets will launch over here. In the US, they're set to go on sale in November, priced between $100 (£49) and around $400 (£196), for the LG Voyager.